Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-02-10
THE LADDER OF DEATH.

"A Convict at the Joliet 11l.) States Prison
Sketches Those Steps That Lead to
Death.
A murderer confined in prison cell
sketched these steps that lead to death.
They may be regarded as the rounds of
a ladder. one end of which reaches the
fatalp latform. The first step is often
taken in childhood, and leads quickly
TO the second. Irreverence for Gods
Holy Day leads to the third and fourth
at one bound. With murder the I'M
fortunate criminal reaches the fatal
platform, which is death.
A defaulter now occupies the vacated
cell. He has never killed any one, and
never had it in his heart to do so, but
has fallen victim to other sins. He
remembers his mother, who taught him
to pray and told him about the golden
stairs that lead up to God and life. He
makes discovery, finds that he has
been travelling in the other direction.
He gazes in bewildermeut upon the
rounds of this ladder, and realizes that
he has been climbing them. He also
realizes that there are other steps that
are not sketched, such as selfishness,
anger, envy, falsehood and dishonesty.
Some are rushing up this ladder at
headlong gallop, reaching their desti-
nation before they are men. Others
are creeping slowly but surely, taking
three-score-and-ten years to reach the
top-most round on the way to death.
The following lines, entitled 1.-The
Fate of Fast Young Man," were writ
ten by convict in the Illinois State
prison, who realized when too late the
truth of that Scripture which says,
1.-The way of the transgressor is hard"
It's curious, isn't II Billy,
The change that twelve months may bring
Last year was At Saratoga,
AS happy and rich as a king,
was raking in pools on the races,
And fleeing the walters with Ten"
And slipping mint-juleps by twilight,
And to-day am here in the Pen
eWhat led me to do it," What always
Leads men 10 destruction and crime.
The Prodigal Son. whom you've read of.
Has altered somewhat in his time;
He spends his substance freely
As the Biblical fellow of old,
But when il is gone he fancies
The huslSs will turn into gold.
Champagne, box at the opera,
High steps while fortune is flush,
The passionate kiss of women
Whose cheeks have forgotten to blush;
The old, old story, Billy,
OF pleasures that end in tears:
The froth that foams for an hour,
The uregS that are tasted yea-S
Last night, as sat here and pondered
On the end of my evil ways,
There arose like a phantom before me
The vision OF boyhood days.
Thought of my old home. Billy,
OF the school-house that stood on the hill
OF the brook that flowed thro' the meadow
I can cen hear its music still.
Again thought of my mother
OF the mother who taught me to pray,
Whose love was precious treasure
That heediessly cast away.
saw again in my vision
The fresh-lipped, careless boy,
To whom the future was boundless,
And the world but mighty toy.
Thought of all this as 1 sat here |
OF my ruined and wasted life;
And the pangs of remorse were bitter
They pierce my heart like knife.
IT takes some courage Billy, |
To laugh in the face of fate,
When the yearning ambitions Of manhood
Are blasted at twenty-eight
Mrs. Sadie Cannon Lean:Oa, in s.. S. !
Visitor.